I don’t know about you, but in the Christmas holidays, much as I love reading, my Christmas go-tos tend to be films and TV. I’ll enjoy sitting and reading a book, hearing the wind and rain outside, but it doesn’t have to be Christmas-themed. However, pretty much anything I watch does. This is clearly not a definitive list and I know I’ve missed out some classics, but these are just a few of my faves…
To begin with, there is a plethora of TV series which have their Christmas specials. And for me there is great comfort in revisiting them every year. To name a few…
The Office (UK) Christmas special, heartwarming, funny and cringy at the same time.
Knowing Me Knowing Yule with Alan Partridge, a very funny cringe-fest.
That said, you probably wouldn’t want to watch either of the above with your kids!
Pretty much ANY of the Doctor Who Christmas episodes are worth a gander too. Some are not specifically about Christmas, rather Christmas is kind of crow-barred in, but they manage to combine fantasy and fun in a one-off story.
As for films, Harry Potter is a pretty good bet, particularly the first two films. Just enjoying the magic is so much fun.
For feel-good films, Miracle on 34th Street, either the 1947 or 1994 versions. Spoiler: Santa is real!
The Bishop’s Wife, with Cary Grant, is a joy to watch. An angel comes to help a failing church…
And for more modern stories, The Holiday is a lot of fun, but I’d go for Love Actually, hands down. The ensemble cast is glorious, among other things. It’ll make you cry and laugh and everything in-between.
And don’t forget Die Hard! Bruce Willis goes berserk at Christmas.
And then we come to it. Yup.
A Christmas Carol, Charlie Dickens.
Firstly, read the book! The novella is short, you could get through it in a day.
The timelessness of this story is reflected in the myriad adaptations that have been made, and here are just a few pretty diverse ones!
The Muppet Christmas Carol, with Michael Caine. Yes, I know. The Muppets. But it actually really works!
Scrooged, a modern (-ish, I think it was made in the 80s) retelling, with Bill Murray.
The musical version with Kelsey Grammar. It feels like a stage musical; lots of singing and dancing for no apparent reason, but why not?
A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, from the wonderful Mischief Theatre. They take their trademark “perform a story in which everything goes wrong” to Dickens.
Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, a reverse telling. The character is a pleasant and kind man at the beginning. BTW, not really suitable for kids!
And of course the classic George C Scott version from 1984.
It wouldn’t even surprise me if “A Christmas Carol on Ice” existed too… The story seems to have been adapted to pretty much any genre imaginable!
There are so many other recommendations I could give, like It’s a Wonderful Life with the great Jimmy Stewart, probably the all-time classic. But I’m sure you have yours.
So enjoy the season and take comfort in revisiting old friends, on-screen and off. I know I will!
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